Dental Emergencies

Broken Tooth

Rinse the area with warm water. Put a cold compress over the facial area of the injury. Recover any broken tooth fragments. Get immediate dental attention.

If your child loses a tooth from an injury, try to remain calm. Call our clinic immediately and we will help you to determine if it is a permanent or primary tooth. If it is a permanent tooth, avoid touching the root in any way. If it is a permanent tooth, gently rinse the tooth under running water, but avoid rubbing the root area. Hold it by the crown rather than the root and try to reinsert it in the socket. (Your child can keep it in place until treatment by biting down on a wet piece of clean gauze.) If that is not possible, put the tooth in a glass of milk, saline solution, or saliva, and take your child and the glass immediately to our clinic, or an emergency medical treatment facility.

For a broken tooth, rinse your child’s mouth out with warm water to clean out any debris or foreign matter. Use a cold compress on the child’s cheek or gum near the affected area to keep any swelling down. Call our clinic immediately.

Knocked Out Baby Tooth

Baby teeth should NOT be put back into the mouth because it may damage the growing permanent tooth. Your child still needs to be seen at the office to find out if any other teeth, jawbone or tissues around the mouth are injured.

Knocked Out Permanent Tooth

Contact a dentist immediately. Time is a critical factor in saving a permanent tooth. Find the tooth and gently rinse off any dirt with room temperature water. Hold the tooth by the crown, not the root, and do not scrub it. Place the tooth into its socket and have your child hold the tooth in place. If you are not able to reinsert the tooth, put it in a cup with milk or water and bring it to the dentist.

Cut or Bitten Tongue, Lip or Cheek

Ice can be applied to any bruised areas. For bleeding, apply firm (but gentle) pressure with sterile gauze or a clean cloth. If the bleeding does not stop with pressure or continues after 15 minutes, go to an emergency room.

Bleeding After a Baby Tooth Falls Out

Fold a piece of gauze and place it (tightly) over the bleeding area. Bite down on the gauze for 15 minutes; if bleeding continues, see a dentist.